Eagles host Bills in matchup of two of NFL’s top quarterbacks
BUFFALO (6-5) at PHILADELPHIA (9-1)
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EST, CBS
OPENING LINE: Eagles by 3, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Buffalo 4-7; Philadelphia 6-2-2
SERIES RECORD: Eagles lead 8-6.
LAST MEETING: On Oct. 27, 2019, Eagles QB Carson Wentz threw for 172 yards and a TD in Philadelphia’s 31-13 win at Buffalo.
LAST WEEK: Bills beat the Jets 32-6; Eagles won at Kansas City 21-17.
EAGLES OFFENSE: OVERALL (9), RUSH (8), PASS (12), SCORING (5).
EAGLES DEFENSE: OVERALL (14), RUSH (1), PASS (28), SCORING (16).
BILLS OFFENSE: OVERALL (6), RUSH (11), PASS (7), SCORING (7).
BILLS DEFENSE: OVERALL (10), RUSH (16), PASS (10), SCORING (4).
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Bills even; Eagles minus-1.
EAGLES PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Jalen Hurts continues to lead the Eagles to victories at an amazing rate, as Philadelphia is 26-2 in Hurts’ past 28 regular-season starts. Hurts wasn’t statistically stellar against the Chiefs, passing for 150 yards and rushing for 29, but he made big plays at key times to lead Philadelphia to the victory on Monday night in a rematch of last season’s Super Bowl. Philadelphia’s quarterback brings a streak of 13 consecutive victories against teams with winning records into Sunday’s matchup against the Bills.
BILLS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Josh Allen rediscovered his form in Sunday’s rout of the Jets in the first game under new offensive coordinator Joe Brady, who replaced fired Ken Dorsey. Allen threw for 275 yards and three TDs, including an 81-yard TD pass to Khalil Shakir that is the longest scoring play from scrimmage in the NFL this season. Allen leads the NFL with 22 TD passes and is fourth in passing yards with 2,875 entering Week 12.
KEY MATCHUP: Bills secondary vs. Eagles receivers. The Bills have several injuries in their secondary, which has a tall task in defending DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown. Smith turned Monday night’s game in Philadelphia’s favor with a stellar, 41-yard reception late in the fourth quarter to the Chiefs 1-yard line that led to Hurts’ go-ahead tush-push touchdown run. He finished with six catches for 99 yards. Brown, the NFL’s second-leading receiver (1,013 yards), likely will be smarting after making just one catch for 8 yards and being involved in miscommunication with Hurts that led to an interception against Kansas City.
KEY INJURIES: Bills safety Taylor Rupp (neck) was placed in an ambulance after a collision against the Jets, but coach Sean McDermott indicated on Monday that Rupp has a chance to play against the Eagles. Defensive backs Dane Jackson and Taron Johnson both are in concussion protocol. Safeties Micah Hyde (stinger) and Cam Lewis (shoulder) are day to day. TE Dawson Knox (wrist) is eligible to be activated off injured reserve but is unlikely to suit up on Sunday, McDermott said. … Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert (forearm), DE Derek Barnett (personal reasons) and S Justin Evans (knee) didn’t play versus Chiefs. Backup TE Grant Calcaterra hurt his ankle in the third quarter.
SERIES NOTES: Sunday marks just the 15th meeting between the clubs. The Bills have made six trips to Philadelphia, last winning in the City of Brotherly Love on Nov. 10, 1996. One of the Eagles’ memorable plays in franchise history came on Dec. 2, 1990, when QB Randall Cunningham connected with WR Fred Barnett on a 95-yard touchdown pass in a 30-23 defeat at the Bills.
STATS AND STUFF: McDermott attended high school in Philadelphia at La Salle College High School and began his coaching career with the Eagles, where he coached from 1998-2010. McDermott has defeated 29 of the other 31 NFL teams, with only the Eagles and Cardinals not on the list. … Buffalo has scored an NFL-leading 65 points off 19 takeaways. … RB James Cook is one of four players with at least 650 rushing yards and 250 passing yards. He has 688 on the ground and 251 through the air. … Buffalo rushed 38 times against the Jets, its most attempts on the ground in a game since Jan. 2, 2022. … CB Rasul Douglas, a 2017 third-round pick of the Eagles, had two interceptions and a fumble recovery against the Jets in his third game since being acquired in a trade from Green Bay. … Philadelphia is the first team to win at least nine of its first 10 games in consecutive seasons since the Colts in 2005 and ’06. The Eagles are 9-1 through 10 games for the seventh time in club history. … DE Brandon Graham will set a franchise mark for most games in team history when he takes the field against the Bills for the 189th time in an Eagles uniform. The 14-year veteran is fourth in Philadelphia history with 72 sacks. … The Eagles lead the NFL in third down conversion rate (48.2 percent) and fourth down rate (76.5). … Philadelphia will wear its throwback “kelly green” jerseys for the second time this season.
FANTASY TIP: Stars such as Hurts, Brown, Smith, Allen and Stefon Diggs all are fixtures in fantasy lineups. Looking for someone off the waiver wire? With limited production at tight end because of injuries, WR Julio Jones could have a bigger role this week for Philadelphia. The seven-time Pro Bowl receiver signed with the Eagles earlier this season and has four receptions and one TD in four games. But he could be a big target over the middle that Hurts is missing in the absence of Goedert and Calcaterra.
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